Monday Morsels: small changes

I typically feel like spring is a time for action and renewed energy.  But, this has been a particularly reflective season for me so far.  I'm starting to plan our garden, preparing for bees, and feeling motivated to do some nature exploration, hiking, and running in the warmer weather.  But, I just can't seem to get out of my head long enough to really dive into it.  So often the larger picture gets swallowed up by the day to day work of a family, but right now it seems the reverse is true.  I've been a little lost in the clouds, considering the future of our family and small homestead, trying to make sense of who we are and our place in this world.  I suppose its necessary.  It only makes sense to step back once in a while and take stock. Still, in an effort to shake things up a bit I made the most of a quiet afternoon to make some small changes:  

Morsels: Tasty bites from the past few days...

* For some reason spring cleaning (and really most any cleaning) for me always involves re-arranging the furniture.  Just a few small changes to make the inside feel as new as the outside seems this time of year. 

The "studio"/guest room/Rob's ironing area has become the new home for the kids' work table.  They hardly ever sit at their table to do work, but it holds much of their art supplies and personal work.  I'm hoping the move will inspire a few larger scale art projects that will be best tucked away behind doors, rather than strewn across the dining room table.  Also, with it out of the way there'll be more room in front of the windows for our seedlings.

All of that sunny open space was screaming for something (other than the seedlings to come), so I moved the seasonal table out of the tunnel and into the light.  We've just begun gathering spring artifacts for exploration here.  

 

Without the seasonal table the tunnel is free for house play once again. The "tunnel" is a small open space below the stairs designed for child sized play (it also completes the circle, perfect for lap running inside--if you're under 4 ft. tall).  It has been many things over the years from Wylie's workshop, an art gallery, science area, store, and many different play houses.  

* Kale has been enjoying large paper.  Roads for cars, farms, body tracing, you name it.  Give that kid some crayons and a roll and he's into it.  Or not.  These days its hard to tell with him.  Two-year-olds change like the weather here in New England:  often and without much warning.  

* We did some work on the hives this weekend--preparing them for our new bee friends.  I bought my hives used from a friend of my sisters (and had them inspected to be sure they're free of disease).  Some of the brood comb was quite old so we spend the better part of an afternoon scraping out the dark comb and cleaning things up a bit (if anyone knows a better way to do this I'd love to hear it). This week we'll make a trip up to Swan's Honey for new wax foundation and the rest of my equipment.   

 

 

* Beeutiful!  Many of the frames already contain newer comb that will be a help to my new colony since they won't have to work so hard drawing it out. The new combs are truly incredible. Every cell is perfect.
I don't even have the little gals yet and I'm already in love.  

* The chickens have been roaming in the garden scratching things up and working the earth a bit for us before we get going in there.  Its a bit of a scene shooing them in there (I guess we've spent so much time scaring them out they don't think its a good place to be).  But, when they finally get settled they are pretty dang pleased with the whole thing.

Here's to a good week--enjoy!